30/07/09   Jen Lexmond writes on the importance of getting on your bike.

Tomorrow evening I will be joining the two-wheeled ranks of London’s radical cyclists at the monthly event Critical Mass. The event consists of thousands of cyclists weaving about central London for several hours, going nowhere in particular, blasting out music from mini-PAs in tow, sometimes taunting drivers and generally asserting their presence on the capital’s roads. Critical Mass’s reason d’etre is vague, the website stating:

‘There are probably as many aims of Critical Mass as there are participants. Each individual comes there with his or her own idea of what it's about, and the sum of this makes up the Mass. We have no organisers and no planned routes.’

Regardless, there are now over 300 similar events in cities around the world, spawned from the first ride of its kind that took place in the early 1970s in Stockholm. While some of the evening appears to be an outlet for aggression on the part of the cyclists or just a bit of exercise, the events have also created a huge political force that has contributed to important reformations for cyclists, for the environment and for the safety of city dwellers.

Through promoting cycling as a form of everyday transport, Critical Mass has become part of the cyclist’s movement to transform streets and neighborhoods into more livable and safe places. Critical Sass – an all women’s cycling campaign, Bike Winter – promoting safe cycling in dangerous conditions, and Critical Manners –promoting rather more law abiding cycling, are just a few of the spin-offs. It should be credited as part of the political critical mass which pushed so many city halls around the world to invest in local cycling schemes, reducing traffic, reducing emissions, and promoting safety through numbers – Paris, Copenhagen, Bristol, and London (forthcoming) to name a few.  Critical Mass then, is a political event, with measurable impact, and clear – if not singular – purpose.

What becomes plainly evident from events like this is that the group, collective, society – whatever – comes to more than the sum of its parts. We may all be atomized, discreet individuals, making rational, ordered choices but we can and do belong to something bigger – something that has a purpose and direction that we can’t always predict and that will often produce contrary results – something that can get out of control.

Whether a bunch of cyclists taking over the roadways once a month ends up setting a political agenda in motion, or the effect of person upon person not recycling ends up becoming an environmental catastrophe, our actions mean something bigger. Take comfort or concern.  

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